Author: Chasing Krista

Washington is probably one of the most beautiful states I have ever been to. Yes, I am biased because I get to live in this gorgeous, green, mountainous and nature blessed state. But, you know I’m right . Washington State (otherwise known as the Evergreen State, see!) is pouring with Mother Nature’s beauty from state-line to state-line .

It’s been a while and I broke that cardinal rule of blogging…and just stopped. Since returning to North America, life has been a busy whirlwind and an emotional rollercoaster. After two years gallivanting around Europe and molding the younger minds of Spain’s population; it was quite a challenge adjusting back to life at home. It hasn’t been the smoothest of transitions…

Mexico City is a huge city, not just in population size but in how much you need to explore in and around the city. We made a mini bucket list for conquering the excitement of Mexico City. What else should we add?

Puebla City is the largest and the capital city of the state of Puebla. In 1531, in a small area known as Cuetlaxcoapan (which means where the serpents change their skin), the town of Puebla City was born. Understandably so, because when you enter Puebla it is like walking through a rainbow; every building and street are decorated with bold and vibrant colors. The state itself is famous for mole poblano (a spicy chocolate sauce), and the beautiful and detailed Talavera pottery.

TACOS ARE LIFE, we all know this fact of life. A taco lover in Mexico City, you will be in heaven with all of the Taqueria options, but it can certainly get overwhelming. Trying to find the best (and cleanest) taco place can seem daunting. My advice to overcome this daunting task? Tasty Bites Food Tour. With Tasty Bites, we were guided through El Centro and discovered some of the most mouth-watering flavors in Mexico City.

HELLO & WELCOME 2018, so sorry I am a tad behind on schedule considering it is almost February. Crazy to think that 2018 is already here, and 2017 whizzed right by us. I am desperately trying to get life to slow down, take a step back, enjoy the people I have in my life and little things more.

Teotihuacán a mysterious and unique Mesoamerican archaeological site, found on the outskirts of Mexico City. Each year over millions of travelers and tourists flock the ancient site to marvel at the history and artifacts. The name Teotihuacán translates to ‘the place where gods were born,’ and according to legends and beliefs, many people consider it to be the place where the universe was created.

Mexico City is a huuuuuuge city, not only in population size (being one of the largest metropolitan cities in the world) but also the amount of exploration to discover everything in and around Mexico City.
Mexico City is broken up into little neighborhoods, each with its own charm and appeal. With six days in Mexico City, you would think it would be ample amount of time to explore in and around the city, but we combined those six days with four trips outside of Mexico City and a lazy day because we forgot it was a holiday and everything was closed and found out we could have used one more day or two. (Or maybe we were both dreading the return to adulthood and responsibilities).

The Great Wall of China; 长城 (cháng chéng), 万里长城 (wàn lǐ cháng chéng) literally translates to “The Long Wall of 10,000 miles” and it is one of the longest walls in the world. Over ten million people visit the Great Wall of China every year and the amount of information around how to properly explore this giant architectural landmark is overwhelming. If you are anything like me, I did a TON of research prior to witnessing the Great Wall of China. I didn’t want to miss anything!

We all make mistakes. They are inevitable in life, and let’s be honest – you can’t be old and wise without being young and crazy first. When I first moved to España to become an English assistant with the Ministry of Culture; I made so many mistakes, I kid you not. So many. I was a mess, a destruction of a wreck, I did almost everything wrong. But, thankfully (somehow) it turned out alright and I ended up falling in love with Madrid. Luckily, you have me to help spell out all the mistakes I made so that you can avoid them.

It was July, which means that there were few hours of darkness but luckily our adorable accommodation (like most houses within this unfortunate latitude are equipped with strong blinds so that 3AM sunrise doesn’t wake you up). I researched just about every page on Google about this hike. From snacks to bring, the difficulty of the hike, length of hike, needlessly to say I was a tad bit nervous. Disclaimer, at the time (eh who am I kidding, still today too), I wasn’t the greatest hiker or in the greatest shape of life and the four hours with a steady incline and difficulty of seven, scared me.

First off, I want to STRESS that I am in NO way a hiking guide or trained in anything worthy of hiking knowledge, besides graduating from Girl Scouts a veerry long time ago. I am going to outline some tips that I used, personally, before venturing up a mountain or two in Norway.